Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning in Young Adults Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions

NCT ID: NCT04921072

Last Updated: 2024-03-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-01-24
• Study Completion Date: 2024-06-30

Brief Summary

The project aims at providing a better understanding of motor skill acquisition and learning processes.

The primary objectives of the study are to determine how practice conditions, i.e., variable and constant practice conditions, in motor learning affect Central Nervous System. There are three objectives:

1. to determine functional changes following constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning (resting-state fMRI)

2. to determine the EEG activation and connectivity between cognitive, sensory, and motor cerebral cortex areas (central, temporal, parietal, occipital) in constant and variable practice conditions and as a function of practice time.

Detailed Description

Variable practice involving the practice of several variations of motor skill benefits learning differently than practice in constant conditions, i.e., practice that involves only one variation of a skill. The variable practice results in better retention and transfer. The performance of a skill practiced in variable conditions is more accurate and stable. In contrast, practicing only one variation of a skill better refines the recall schema. It means that the motor program (which serves as an "example" while executing a movement) is developed better. The trained variation of a skill (in constant practice), produces an advantage in performance compared to the same variation of the skill that was practiced in variable conditions (assuming that variable and constant practice had similar capacity).

This finding has an important implication for those who want to master their skills and it does not matter whether this skill refers to sport, driving, piloting, or rehabilitation. If one wants to be good at performing only one variation of a skill, one should practice in constant conditions, whereas if one wants to be good in more than one variation of skill and wants to generalize the experience to novel situations an individual should practice in variable conditions. As one can see, this implication is practical, although the mechanisms underlying this distinction and differences are unknown.

On the other hand, it is unquestioned today that learning new motor skills dynamically changes brain, i.e., brain is neuroplastic. The neuroplasticity of the brain is specifically conspicuous in the progression of motor learning. As it was reported in previous research, cortico-striatal and cortico-cerebellar systems play an important role in motor skill acquisition. However, both of these systems differ in terms of the role they play as learning progresses. Cortico-striatal system (associative/premotor brain regions) is primarily engaged in the initial phase of learning, i.e., in cognitive functioning and sensory processing. Cortico-cerebellar system (sensorimotor network) is becoming more active in the later phase of motor learning. However, none of the previous research focused on what role these systems play in learning under different conditions and how the different roles the systems may play affect structural neuroplasticity, including grey and white matter.

It may be also interesting to look at the functional neuroplasticity. A lesser degree of cognitive involvement during the execution of movements may be associated with lower activation in the sensorimotor cortex. On the other hand, increased cognitive involvement may be expected in variable conditions due to, e.g., stimulus identification or decision making. Therefore, the assumption that decreased cognitive involvement and, as a result, decreased prefrontal cortex activation in constant practice conditions sounds reasonable. Moreover, it may be hypothesized that practicing and learning in constant conditions will be characterized by lower sensorimotor cortex activation since there will be decreased control during the motor performance, which leads to more adaptive motor performance.

Conditions

Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

CG - Constant practice condition group

CG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Constant practice conditions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

CG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1.

VG - Variable practice condition group

VG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Variable practice conditions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

VG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG.

Interventions

Constant practice conditions

CG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Variable practice conditions

VG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• no history of epilepsy, any known neurological disorder, no psychiatric history, were medication-free during the previous 14-days prior to participation, had not used alcohol within the previous 24-h and were not pregnant

Exclusion Criteria

• Participants will be excluded if they were a musician or a professional typist, or had any contraindications to MRI, significant medical conditions that prevented them from performing the task, or scored less than 3 on the Mini-Cog ™ test.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Czech-BioImaging

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Masaryk University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Stanisław Henryk Czyż

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Locations

Masaryk University, Faculty of Sport Studies

Brno, , Czechia

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Czechia

Central Contacts

Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

stanislaw.czyz@fsps.muni.cz

+420 770 156 944

Facility Contacts

Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D.

Role: primary

stanislaw.czyz@fsps.muni.cz

+420 770 156 944

References

Czyz SH, Marusiak J, Klobusiakova P, Sajdlova Z, Rektorova I. Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions-Protocol of Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Mar 17;16:773730. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.773730. eCollection 2022.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35370573 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

FSpS SHC 1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id